Friday Night and All is Well
by Vialana
Summary: Not everything is doom and gloom at the BAU.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Criminal Minds featured in this fan fiction**

_Spoilers/Warnings: set post-5x10; reference to case-related violence, gen (Reid+Prentiss+Morgan friendly fluffiness)_

**Friday Night and All is Well**

The clock on the wall of the bullpen ticked over to five pm. Almost instantly the ambient sound level of the room increased. Papers rustled, quiet shop-talk turned to light-hearted chatter. Plans were made, goodbyes waved. It was a typical Friday afternoon occurrence.

Hotch's door opening and closing behind him wasn't.

Reid looked up, noting that Prentiss and Morgan had also noticed the out-of-character actions of their workaholic unit chief. Hotch was locking up his office, briefcase in hand and no files on his person to suggest he was taking work with him.

"Is the world ending?" Prentiss looked to Reid for confirmation as Hotch made his way down the stairs from his office. Reid coughed in an attempt to stave of his laugh; Morgan grinned outright.

Hotch shot her an unamused look. "Jack and I have plans for the weekend."

Prentiss' teasing smile softened. "Of course. Enjoy yourself, eat too much candy and call in sick on Monday."

"Sunburn and possible heat-stroke are also acceptable excuses," Reid said.

"I'll remember you said that." Hotch regarded him sternly and Reid tried to look innocent. Both failed to keep the act up and Hotch let one of his rare brief smiles escape. "I'll see all of you on Monday."

"Tell Jack we said 'hi'," Morgan said.

Hotch nodded and headed out of the bullpen. The three agents watched him get into the elevator before they returned to the remains of their work: finishing their final reports from the previous case earlier in the week. Half of the bullpen had emptied already and the other half was frantically scribbling or typing away in order to catch up to their colleagues.

Reid was actually making notes on his latest academic paper. He had finished his paperwork an hour ago, but he was a fan of solidarity. Morgan always worked better with other people around him and every so often Prentiss would look up and click her fingers in exasperation before asking Reid for appropriate synonyms and euphemisms to use for the official report.

Prentiss always put more effort into the final reports as she put everything together for the records. The Bureau frowned on illegible handwriting and messy margins with the occasional personal comment noted down. Not to mention colloquial language. Definite no-no. She was a professional , no one would dispute that, but, like every member of the BAU, Prentiss had her quirks and the results of her note-taking often resembled some of the off-the-wall literature she was so fond of. Reid was always happy to help out when even the recollection of a case was enough to have Prentiss gritting her teeth and slashing holes in her files with her pen.

Their last case hadn't ended well; one of the hostages their UnSub held had died on the way to the emergency room. Casey Powers: eighteen, two younger sisters, girlfriend, academic scholarship to Harvard, beloved of his doting parents. Prentiss had found him and initiated CPR as Morgan cuffed their suspect and Hotch and Rossi led the remaining hostages to safety. The paper shredding was understandable this time around.

Reid wasn't the only one who had noticed Prentiss' lapse back into dark thoughts; Morgan caught Reid's eye and nodded. He pushed his files aside and headed over to lean against the divider between Prentiss and Reid's desks. He picked up Reid's notes, ignoring Reid's indignant "Hey!" and shook his head.

"Reid, you naughty boy. Skipping out on work to play with … what is this?"

Reid snatched the notebook out of Morgan's hands and shoved it inside his satchel. "An argument about n-theory. Dr Fuller has just released a paper and it's sent the mathematics community into an uproar. I don't agree with everything she'd proposed but her arguments are sound and there's an interesting line of thought which she didn't follow up on in one section. It's only a draft but I'm hoping to get a chance to present at an upcoming convention and carry on the discussion."

"… I see."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't but I shall be supportive and encourage you on your endeavours."

Reid stared at Morgan with narrowed eyes. "Okay, what did Garcia say to you?"

Morgan leaned away and held his hands up. "Nothing, I swear."

"… Right." Reid continued packing up his belongings. "And for your information I finished my report over an hour ago."

"Good, you have time to look over mine before we head to the bar." Morgan grabbed his report from his desk and shoved it into Reid's hands before Reid could react to his words.

Reid looked down at the papers then back up at Morgan in confusion. "Bar?"

"It's Friday night and you need to get out."

"I already had things planned for staying in tonight, thank you."

"Cancel them. We can make it a team night."

"Hotch is with Jack and Rossi's on his hunting trip and we're not to contact him under pain of death for anything less than mortal wounds or surprise newborns."

"Us and the girls then. What do you say, Prentiss?"

Prentiss looked up, surprised to be addressed directly when Morgan and Reid's typical banter usually faded into almost soothing background noise. She looked back down at her report, surprised to see how much of it she'd managed to grit her way through as her fellow agents were talking. She hadn't even been thinking about Casey's cold skin as she'd finished it off.

"Sorry, you were saying drinks?"

"Yeah," Morgan said. "Team night. We take the kid out and show him a good time."

Prentiss snorted. "You two can make your own 'good times'. I'm pretty sure we girls have something else planned for tonight."

"Oh, girl's night. Sounds like fun." Morgan wagged his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Reid and Prentiss just rolled their eyes at the typical behaviour.

"No boys allowed," Prentiss sang as she finished up and straightened out her desk.

"I'm sure having a stud-muffin like me along can't hurt your image tonight."

Prentiss laughed.

Reid frowned. "What about me?"

Morgan shrugged. "Well, you look good in a dress."

Prentiss stopped packing away her files and stared at Morgan. "I never want to know how you know that."

"Well I want to know how you know that!" Reid glared at Morgan. "You shouldn't know that. You don't know that. I don't even know that."

"Are you trying to convince us or yourself, Reid?" Prentiss teased gently.

"No one. I don't need to convince anyone because it never happened."

"Oh? So there's a story behind this?" Morgan looked interested as he leaned further over the divider. Prentiss, too, raised her eyebrows.

Reid threw his hands up as though that would make his point more emphatic. "There's no story! There has been no sordid cross-dressing in my past!"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Morgan mock-whispered to Prentiss.

Reid glared. "I hate you."

"I love you too, kid." Morgan grinned and ruffled Reid's long hair until it looked like a tornado had landed on Reid's head.

Prentiss ignored the ensuing scuffle and continued packing away her belongings. When she was finally ready to leave, she whistled sharply. The two rough-housing boys looked over at her. She pointed her thumb at the elevator over her shoulder. "You children coming or should I call Garcia and have her take pictures for blackmail?"

Morgan and Reid sprang apart and jumped at their desks, scrambling for their belongings. Prentiss smiled as she pushed the button for the elevator and mentally counted down. Morgan arrived at her side first and pretended like he hadn't bolted across the bullpen to be on time for the elevator. Reid arrived just as the doors opened, still shoving loose pages into his satchel.

"You're still not invited," Prentiss said as they all entered the enclosed space.

"Fine, we'll have our own party and pick up chicks way hotter than you three." Morgan crossed his arms over his chest and stared smugly at Prentiss.

Reid snorted. "One, you'll be the only one picking up tonight if events go as they usually do. And, two, I don't think it's possible to find any women more attractive than our team mates."

Prentiss grinned. "Aw, Reid, have you been practicing your flattery? That's so adorable."

Reid pouted. "I hate you too and I take back all the nice things I ever said."

Morgan and Prentiss laughed all they way down to the car park.


End file.
